Society for Assistance of Medical Families: How to Apply For Help

Society for Assistance of Medical Families

Contact Number: 01271 379 562 or Email: info@samf.org.uk

Are you a medical practitioner or the dependant of a medical practitioner  experiencing financial difficulty? Would you like to join a Society that directly helps doctors in difficulty? If so, then you can contact the Society for Assistance of Medical Families (SAMF) via email, telephone and post.

Their main contact number is 01271 379 562. You can call this line between 10am and 4pm from Monday to Friday. This is a geographic telephone number and should cost up to 13p from a landline or between 3p and 55p from a mobile phone. These are approximate figures and you should always check with your telephone provider to avoid unexpectedly high charges. Alternatively, you can contact them via their email info@samf.org.uk for more details.

Their website also has a contact form with which you can message the SAMF directly.

If you would like to post your enquiry or application to the SAMF, their postal address is:

Lettsom House,

11 Chandos House,

Cavendish Square,

London

W1G 9EB

How is Assistance given?

The Society for Assistance of Medical Families, formerly the Society for Relief of Widows and Orphans of Medical Men, provides financial help to doctors and their families in times during times of financial hardship, misfortune and illhealth. They also help medical students and non-medical students whose parents are doctors.

The Society for the Assistance of Medical Families provides financial help to doctors and their families in times during times of financial hardship, misfortune and illhealth. Image Source: Pixabay.

In recent times the SAMF have also helped to retrain and re-skill doctors who are no longer able to practice medicine.

 

Exactly who is eligible for support?

According to the Society for Assistance of Medical Families website then the following groups are eligible for help:

  • Dependants of deceased members
  • Members themselves
  • Their dependants
  • Medical practitioners, who haven’t been members of the Society and their dependants. The overriding consideration is whether an applicant is in need of help.
  • Membership is open to any doctor residing in the British Isles.
  • Any doctor who has a GMC recognised qualification and has lived in the UK for ten years or more is eligible for membership.

How to apply for Financial Assistance from the Society for Assistance of Medical Families

The Society website advises that medical families in need of assistance contact the society via email with details of their situation. Alternatively, if you would rather speak to a human being directly, you can call 01271 379 562. Your initial contact should clarify the application process that is most applicable to your personal circumstances.

Their website has downloadable PDFs of their application forms under ‘Media and Downloads’. For example there are separate forms for members (A1) and non-member applications (A2).

All applicants must complete form A4. To complete this form you must enter your financial details including everything from your mortgage/rent outgoings, your council tax bill, to the value of any stocks and shares that you own. In addition to this form, you must add a covering letter detailing your situation and why you need help. You will also need the names and addresses of two referees. One of your referees must be a doctor.

In summary, you will need:

  1. A covering letter
  2. The relevent form A1 ro A2 or A3.
  3. A completed A4 form.
  4. 2 referees (one must be a doctor)
  5. Your last three months bank statement(s) for all
    accounts held, including Building Societies
  6. The most recent credit card statement(s)
  7. Mortgage Statements/ or copy of rental agreement
  8. Confirmation of State Benefits
  9. Your most recent utility bills
  10. Council Tax Bill
  11. Inland Revenue Form P60
  12. Last Income Tax Return or Tax Coding
  13. Last practice accounts (audited, as supplied to Inland Revenue) if relevant
  14. Capital Assets valuation schedules
  15. Curriculum Vitae
  16. Confirmation of place at College/University

Timing your application

The SAMF meet four times a year to conduct their business: February, May, August and November. Applications for membership are considered at these times.

Applications for assistance are considered and awarded at Christmas, Easter and Michaelmas.

Benefits of becoming a member of the Society for Assistance of Medical Families

There are two main benefits to joining the SAMF. The first is the knowledge that your subscription fee is used to help medical families in need. The second is the fact that you have a higher probability of a successful application if you or your family fall on hard times. Non-members applying for help are considered after member families have been fully considered.

Historically, widows of male doctors were the first to recieve assistance from the SAMF when it was first established in 1788. Since then, the Society has expanded its membership criteria and eligibility for assistance.

Becoming Member of the Society

The SAMF member application form can be found by clicking the link in this text.

The application form requires the standard set of personal details as well as your medical registration number and two proposers. The proposers, need not be members, but must be medical practitioners who can confirm your current health status.  The SAMF currently has 200 members.

Personnel: Who are the SAMF?

The Society currently has a Life President, a president and 5 Vice Presidents. They are:

Life President: Dr Roy N Palmer LLB MB BS FFFLM

President: Dr Priya Singh MB ChB MRCGP

Vice Presidents: Mr J P S England MB BS FRCS, Mr Simon D W Payne MB BS FRCS, Mr Frank A W Schweitzer MS FRC plus two more who are unamed on the website.

The Treasurer is Mr Geoff E Rose (MS MRCP FRCS) and 9 Directors who are also named on the website as Dr Stephanie Bown, Dr David North-Coombs, Dr David Buckle, Dr David Stewart, Dr Stewart M Kilpatrick, Dr Cyril Nemeth, Dr Celia Palmer, Mr A B Richards, Dr Rohit Malliwal.